Dark

Chapter 1

I run. Glide through the streets, staying in shadows. I flee towards the edge of the city, where I'll be safe from capture. I reach the end of the block and sprint across the meadow, into the dark safety of the forest.

The trees soothe me and I slip through the undergrowth almost silently. I want to get as far from the scene as possible tonight.

"You ditched early." The voice startles me before I relax.

"Well," I reply. "I could hear sirens. Didn't wanna get caught now, did I?"

Aidan laughs and jumps off a branch above my head. He's also dressed in a black hood, pants and runners. He pulls down the cloth covering his nose and mouth.

"They'd never catch you, Jay," he says, tossing an arm around my shoulders. "You're too fast."

He starts pulling me forward, so I duck under his arm. "And you're too cocky," I say, pulling off my full-face mask. "You'll get caught, Aidan. Then who'll cover for me with my brother?"

He laughs again and says, "True."

"Anyway, I'm headed to the forest run. You coming?" I ask.

"Only if it's a race," he replies.

"Always."

Aidan pulls up the cloth and takes off through the trees. I shove on my mask and speed after him. Silence isn't cared about now. I fly through the forest, dodging obstacles. I swerve around trees, jump brambles, clear the stream, and keep running.

I only start to slow down when a yellow-orange light appears through the trees. I burst into a clearing full of people dressed in black and leap over a campfire that appears in front of me. I turn slowly around, taking in the chaos of camp.

Some people sprint around the clearing, others share talk and food, many gather around small campfires that scatter the area. Screaming and laughter fills the air. This is where I belong.

Aidan crashes through the trees near where I came through and hurtles into me, sending us both tumbling to the ground. This takes me into absolute hysteria and I crack up.

Adrenaline surges through me as I fight for breath. Between the escape from the city, the run through the woods and the collision, I'm completely winded.

Aidan tries to free himself, but ends up breaking down as well. So we lay, two friends, on the ground, laughing our heads off. After several minutes of this, we disentangle ourselves and stand up, ready for the forest run.

When most of the camp has assembled, ready, we head off as a group, onto the forest. The first chance I get, I scale a tree and leap from one branch to the next, above the group. The gang starts to spread out, giving everyone room to run. Some take to the trees, like me, others stick to the ground.

We race, in no particular direction, whooping and screaming, calling out to the sky. A group of teenagers, running through the forest, screaming into the night.

This is life!

***

I slip back into my room through the window. It's currently 2:45am. Ace should be in bed. Like, four hours ago. Except he's not. He's laying right in front of me. On my bed. Arms crossed, staring at the roof.

"You took your time," he says. He sits up and turns to me. He looks me directly in the eye. Pale purple meets electric blue, one empty, the other helpless. "Where were you?"

I look at the floor. "With Aidan," I mumble.

No way in hell am I going to tell my brother why I was still out at quarter to three in the morning. On a school night. He sighs and stands up. He knows he'll get nothing out of me. He wraps his arms around me, which is a surprise. I was expecting a lecture.